RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Typically, Klint Kubiak talks with his younger brother, Klay, quite a bit.

Just not this week.

Klint is in the midst of preparing for his first game as offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. Klay has the same job with the San Francisco 49ers and is on the verge of his first game as an NFL coordinator.

Conveniently for the Kubiaks, their teams open the season by playing each other Sunday at Lumen Field.

“It’s a really cool thing,” Klay said Thursday. “It’s a cool experience, it’s pretty rare, so we treasure them for sure, but it’s a little awkward during the week, but it’ll be fun on Sunday.”

The two coached against one another last preseason, when Klint was the New Orleans Saints’ offensive coordinator and Klay a passing game specialist for the 49ers. Otherwise, there haven’t been many head-to-head battles for the brothers dating back to childhood.

Football was critical to the Kubiaks starting in childhood. Each played for Colorado State — Klint was a safety and Klay a quarterback — and their father, Gary, won a Super Bowl as head coach of the Denver Broncos as a part of a coaching career that spanned four decades.

Klint’s desire to follow in his father’s footsteps and become an NFL coach was something that built up over time.

“I think all of us dream of playing forever, when you play, and eventually that day ends and you start thinking of what’s next,” Klint said. “I was fortunate to get a start with Mike Sherman at Texas A&M. Grateful for him, moving me from defense to offense and getting me started there.”

Klint also credited his mother, Rhonda, for emphasizing that there was more to life than football.

“It’s about family, it’s about going to school, it’s about getting an education,” Klint said, “and I’m lucky to have that in my life.”

Thankfully for the Kubiaks’ parents, they don’t have to worry about picking sides since their kids won’t be scheming against one another. Klint sought to downplay the significance of Sunday’s meeting, noting that it’s just one of 17 regular-season games.

But given how the communication between the brothers has dried up, it’s clearly anything but another week.

“We’re giving each other our space,” Klay said, “and look forward to seeing him on Sunday.”

Observers can expect to see similarities in the teams’ offensive schemes. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan is familiar with Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold from their shared season in 2023 — when Klint was the 49ers’ passing game coordinator.

The way Shanahan sees it, there are bound to be similarities in how the 49ers and Seahawks operate on offense.

“It’s always different how you adjust to your players, but I know they’re going to be a balanced team that wants to put Sam in some good situations and give that ball to their good running backs,” Shanahan said. “Then it usually comes down to third down, so it’s real similar to us. There’s window dressing that’s different, but the way that they want a game to go, I think it’s going to be very similar to how we want it to go.”

The NFC West rivals tend to play close games, with or without the sibling rivalry.

“It’s interesting that we’re on the same sides of the ball, so we’re really not competing against each other,” Klay said. “That’s for (defensive coordinator Robert) Saleh to figure out. And same for him.”

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AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow in Santa Clara, California, contributed to this report.

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